Turin canned: Geneva Motor Show

There was a genuine wealth of goodies on show at this year's event. Continuing last week's coverage, Peter Dron reports

12:01AM GMT 16 Mar 2002

MY fellow Motoring columnist, Mike "The Patriot" Rutherford, may be reassured to know that it is not only British motor shows that get canned due to lack of support from the car industry.

The Turin Show, first held 102 years ago, was scheduled to open on April 25 and to close on May 5. But it is not going to happen. If Mike thinks the Italian motor industry is less important than that of Britain, it would be interesting to know why.

Thirty years ago, the world's big motor shows were, in order of importance, Geneva, Frankfurt, Turin, Paris and Birmingham (previously London). The Americans and Japanese, despite being the world's leading car manufacturing nations, did not put on international shows at that time.

The Swiss, capitalising on their status as neutral territory, managed to retain the only annual European motor show. But although Geneva and Frankfurt were bigger events, Italy maintained its status as the genuine avant garde of car styling for a long time after the demise of the separate chassis.

It could be argued that Europe's major motor show now takes places biannually in Frankfurt, with Geneva in second place, despite happening twice as often. Most Germans would say that their motor show is the world leader.

Related Articles

The steady rise in importance of Detroit (and Los Angeles) and Tokyo, along with vigorous local competition from Bologna (where they put on exciting motorsport events to draw the crowds) finally did for Turin.

Part of the problem is that both Turin and Bologna are run by the same organisation, Promotor, whereas Turin used to be under the control of ANFIA, the Italian association of car manufacturers (ie Fiat). Promotor had tried to reinvent the Turin Show as AuTOnext, an exhibition of automotive technology. But the Turin rot set in long ago.

The show had outgrown the exhibition site near the River Po. The old Lingotto factory (the famous one, with the rooftop test track), due for demolition, was used as a stopgap. The interior finish was, not surprisingly, like a half-derelict factory, but the show went on, and it was surprisingly impressive. Nevertheless, its future was in doubt.

Then the show was rescued by Fiat. Instead of being flattened, which would have been a heinous architectural crime, Lingotto was restored and converted into an impressive international exhibition centre.

Italdesign's Giorgio Giugiaro, presenting his gorgeous Alfa Romeo Brera concept in Geneva, seemed genuinely upset at the demise of Turin. However, Italdesign and the other Italian car design houses such as Pininfarina and Bertone could hardly deny that they get better press coverage at lower overall cost from investing in show cars for Geneva, rather than holding them back for Turin, and above all that there was little point in producing concepts for both.

And although the Italian design houses remain respected, they no longer have the influence they once had. How embarrassing for Fiat that it was Opel, fellow subsidiary of General Motors, that was the first car company to pull the plug on Turin. And after them, the deluge.

Rinspeed Presto

SWISS specialist Rinspeed always springs a surprise at Geneva. This year's zany offering is the four-seater, 118in Presto, based on Mercedes A-class running gear. The engine runs on a 40/60 blend of natural gas and diesel, but the party trick is its variable wheelbase. Press a button, and it becomes a two-seater, 29in shorter.

Italdesign Brera

PERHAPS in exasperation at the general direction of the industry, Giorgio Giugiaro presented the Italdesign Brera as his vision of an Alfa sports car for today - modern and safe, but not excessively high-tech. And also beautiful, inside and out. It would be interesting to put it beside the Nuvola, Alfa designer Walter da Silva's last show car before he jumped ship for Seat. It would be a close contest.

Matra M72

MATRA'S M72 50bhp two-seater, displayed as a concept at the 2000 Paris Show, is going into production. Sales will be partly helped by Renault, but will also be via

the internet. Production of up to 15,000 annually is the aim, and right-hand-drive versions will be sold in Britain.

Bertone Novanta

NUCCIO BERTONE died five years ago but the company lives on, celebrating its 90th anniversary at Geneva with the Novanta concept, an executive saloon wearing Saab badges. All control systems - throttle, steering, brakes and transmission - are operated by drive-by-wire, while a variety of electronic devices transforms the car into a knot of nerve endings. The occupants must hope that it does not suffer a nervous breakdown while at work.

Say What?

ULRICH Bez, chief executive of Aston Martin, waxed philosophical in his speech announcing the company's collaboration with Zagato: "We now have the choice. We can decide to grow older" The Telegraph's reporters do not have a clue what he meant, but are planning to follow Dr Bez's advice, at some point in the future.

Venturi Fetish

VENTURI, the French sports car company that specialises in reincarnation, has risen yet again - its new owner is Monaco-based entrepreneur Gildo Pastor. The all-new Fetish, a small, two-seat coupe with a mid-mounted, 180bhp two-litre engine, has nothing in common with previous Venturis. It is said to weigh less than 1,900lb and will cost about £18,000.

PSA Politics

SUPPOSING Lionel Jospin becomes French president, with Martine Aubrey [daughter of Jacques Delors, and the minister who introduced the disastrous 35-hour week] as prime minister, will PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) keep its headquarters in France?

According to PSA president Folz: "As a group we have always tried not to have a political opinion. We are selling cars to everybody, and not asking their political preferences, and we will certainly not have a strategy depending on political issues." All right, supposing Arlette Laguillet [leader of the equivalent of the Workers' Revolutionary Party] becomes President? Folz grins, but remains cool. "We would in no circumstances modify our strategy for political reasons."

Peugeot 807

THE latest version of Peugeot's 807 people carrier (also available with Citroen, Fiat or, in mainland Europe, Lancia badges - they are all made in the same factory in northern France) is bigger than its predecessor (with seven seats, or up to eight in the Fiat version) and its sliding rear doors (which can be motorised) on each side give it an advantage over the new Espace and other MPV rivals. The 807 is the first car in the world with curtain airbags for all three rows of seats.

Maserati Coupe

IT MAY look almost exactly like its predecessor, the 3200GT (apart from the altered rear light clusters), but the new Maserati Coupe is entirely different under the skin, with the naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 engine, "Cambiocorsa" paddle-type gearchange and much improved chassis dynamics introduced last year in the Spyder.